Milan refuses to give up – a hard-fought victory and hope for an Inter slip-up

Although the defeat to Lazio seemed like the last chance for Milan to heat up the title race, the Rossoneri are not giving up and continue to chase Inter. Tonight, they closed the gap to five points with a 3-2 victory over Torino and will be hoping for good news tomorrow from Florence, where the Nerazzurri are playing.

Rafa Leao was unavailable due to injury, and Allegri opted to start with a traditional center-forward in Fulkrug, Pulisic as a second striker, and his strongest midfield line with three defenders at the back. It wasn’t the winning combination. Milan struggled, while Torino matched them very well. The visitors even had the first real chance after Maignan spilled the ball, but Vlasic was off target.

For more than half an hour, Milan circulated the ball fruitlessly and tried to create a meaningful attack until they opted for long-range shots. Paleari saved a Rabiot strike in the 36th minute, but a minute later he could do nothing against Strahinja Pavlovic’s thunderbolt.

The Serbian center-back pushed forward, picked up the rebound from about 20 meters, and set it up for a half-volley. With a ferocious full-foot strike, he sent an unstoppable parabola that bounced off the crossbar and into Torino’s net.

But Torino did not collapse and quickly threatened through Zapata, eventually equalizing before halftime. Vlasic’s long-range shot was saved by Maignan, but it ricocheted off the crossbar and onto his shoulder, leaving Simeone in the perfect position to tap in the rebound.

Dissatisfied with his team’s first-half performance, Massimiliano Allegri brought in right-back Athekame for center-back Tomori, pushed Salemaekers forward, and changed the formation. This time, it was the winning combination.

From Athekame on the right, the play for the next Milan goal started about ten minutes into the second half. The key moment was a brilliant pass from Luka Modric to Pulisic, who delivered a cross to the far post where Rabiot finished into the net.

Just two minutes later, Milan made it 3-1. Athekame saw that Fofana had space, the visitors failed to mark him properly, and the Frenchman positioned himself in the heart of the box to slot the ball home.

Even with a two-goal advantage, Milan did not break the opponent completely. Maignan made a spectacular save to deny Simeone, and about ten minutes before the end, things got complicated when Pavlovic conceded a penalty.

After VAR review, it was determined that the Serbian had struck Simeone in the face, and Vlasic’s spot-kick made for a tense finish. Still, Milan kept control and finished the match routinely.

Next up is a trip to Napoli, which could definitively decide the title race—or could everything heat up again if Inter fails to win in Tuscany tomorrow?

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 30

Friday

Cagliari - Napoli 0-1 (0-1)

/McTominay 2/

Genoa - Udinese 0-2 (0-0)

/Ekkelenkamp 66, Davis 90+6/

Saturday

Parma - Cremonese 0-2 (0-0)

/Maleh 54, Vandeputte 68/

Milan - Torino 3-2 (1-1)

/Pavlovic 36, Rabiot 54, Fofana 55 - Simeone 44, Vlasic 83 pen/

Juventus - Sassuolo IN PROGRESS

Sunday

14.30: (1.27) Como (5.60) Pisa (12.0)

17.00: (1.40) Atalanta (4.50) Verona (8.50)

17.00: (2.40) Bologna (3.10) Lazio (3.40)

20.00: (1.47) Roma (4.10) Lecce (7.75)

22.45: (5.00) Fiorentina (4.20) Inter (1.65)

***odds are subject to change***